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Freelance Digital Matte Painter Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant production art discipline. * Experience delivering visual assets within feature film, VFX, AAA game, or ...

MATTE PROJECTS

Junior Graphic Designer

New York, NY · Hybrid

$65K - $75K/yr

MATTE is a 360 full-service creative studio at the convergence of hype, storytelling and design. We ... You'll support the creation of thoughtful, well-crafted design work across digital, experiential ...

Magnopus

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant production art discipline. * Experience delivering visual assets within feature film, VFX, AAA game, or ...

TheLab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$150K/yr

Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass integration Color Management * ACES * OCIO * Linear workflow * HDR imaging Emerging Technologies * AI ...

TheLab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY · On-site

Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass integration Color Management * ACES * OCIO * Linear workflow * HDR imaging Emerging Technologies * AI ...

thelab

Compositing Artist

Manhattan, NY

Paint & cleanup * Matte extraction * Color grading * Digital photography principles * Render pass integration Color Management * ACES * OCIO * Linear workflow * HDR imaging Emerging Technologies * AI ...

Company3

Restoration Technician

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

The Restoration Technician will perform digital image restoration on scanned film and digital ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company 3 / Method Inc.

Vault Technician

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$20/hr

... and digital media assets (ie. Invoice, order, equipment specs). They will be calm and personable ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company3

Vault Technician

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

... and digital media assets (ie. Invoice, order, equipment specs). They will be calm and personable ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Company 3 / Method Inc.

Vault Technician

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$20/hr

... and digital media assets (ie. Invoice, order, equipment specs). They will be calm and personable ... matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post-production ...

Emerson College

Overhire Stage Hand

Boston, MA · On-site

$27/hr

Wardrobe artisans * Scenic painters * Props carpenters and artisans * Video technicians and ... The Office of the Arts maintains an overhire list of experienced freelance theater/events ...

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Freelance Digital Matte Painter information

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How much do freelance digital matte painter jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 25, 2026, the average hourly pay for freelance digital matte painter in the United States is $20.60, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.59 and $23.32 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a freelance digital matte painter?

A Freelance Digital Matte Painter is a visual effects artist who creates realistic background environments and landscapes for films, TV shows, video games, and commercials. They use digital painting techniques and software such as Adobe Photoshop, Nuke, and Maya to seamlessly integrate these backgrounds with live-action footage or CGI. Working on a freelance basis means they are self-employed and take on projects from various clients, rather than being employed by a single studio. Their work is essential for creating scenes that would be too expensive or impossible to film in real life.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a freelance digital matte painter?

To thrive as a Freelance Digital Matte Painter, you need strong artistic ability, a deep understanding of perspective and lighting, and a solid portfolio demonstrating your work. Mastery of digital painting tools like Adobe Photoshop, and familiarity with 3D software such as Maya or Blender, are often required, along with knowledge of industry-standard workflows. Strong communication, time management, and the ability to adapt to client feedback help set you apart in a competitive freelance environment. These skills and qualities are crucial for producing visually compelling environments that meet client specifications and project deadlines.

What are some common challenges faced by freelance digital matte painters when working with remote teams on film or gaming projects?

Freelance digital matte painters often collaborate with remote art directors, visual effects supervisors, and other artists across different time zones, which can make communication and feedback cycles more complex. Meeting tight deadlines while ensuring the artwork aligns with the project's creative vision can be challenging, especially without in-person interactions. Additionally, freelancers are responsible for managing their own schedules, delivering high-quality files in the required formats, and staying updated with evolving digital tools and techniques to remain competitive in the industry.

What is the difference between Freelance Digital Matte Painter vs Freelance Concept Artist?

AspectFreelance Digital Matte PainterFreelance Concept Artist
Primary FocusCreating realistic backgrounds and environments for films, games, and commercialsDesigning visual ideas and concepts for characters, scenes, and products
Skills & ToolsPhoto manipulation, 3D integration, Photoshop, compositingSketching, digital painting, Photoshop, creative ideation
Work EnvironmentFilm studios, VFX companies, freelance projectsGame studios, advertising agencies, freelance projects
Industry UsageCommonly hired for visual effects and environment creationHired for concept development and pre-visualization

While both roles involve digital art and creative visualization, Freelance Digital Matte Painters specialize in creating realistic backgrounds for visual media, whereas Freelance Concept Artists focus on designing initial ideas and concepts for characters and scenes. Understanding these differences helps clients find the right professional for their project needs.

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Freelance Digital Matte Painter jobs near you
Infographic showing various Freelance Digital Matte Painter job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 20% Contract. Highlights an 87% In-person, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $42,853 per year, or $20.6 per hour.

AI Artist

Los Angeles, CA

Magnopus
Software Development • 11 - 50 employees
Learn more about Magnopusexternal

$100K - $160K/yr

Full-time

Posted 26 days ago

Job description

Magnopus is looking for an AI Artist to create high-quality, photorealistic imagery and motion content for a major new project.

As a spatial design and innovation company, we work at the intersection of technology, creativity and emerging experiences. Our teams bring together artists, engineers, designers and producers to create visionary work using both established production techniques and rapidly evolving technologies.

In this role, you'll combine a strong artistic eye with hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine characters, environments and motion assets for production.

You'll work with image and video generative AI tools, node-based workflows and more conventional creative techniques to take work from initial generation through iteration and refinement to production-ready output.

This is first and foremost an artist role. We're looking for someone with excellent visual judgement who can use generative AI effectively as part of their creative toolkit, working within innovative workflows to deliver consistently high-quality results.

Contract
This is an initial fixed-term project hire through the end of September 2026, with an anticipated extension through February 2027, subject to project requirements.
Location
This role requires working onsite at our Downtown Los Angeles studio five days per week. The project is highly collaborative and fast-moving, with the team working closely together in person throughout production.
What you'll do
  • Create feature-film quality character elements, environments and motion assets for use in production.
  • Use generative AI image and video tools to create, explore and iterate visual ideas against a clear creative brief.
  • Work within node-based generative AI workflows to generate and refine production assets.
  • Use conditioning and control techniques to shape composition, pose, character consistency and overall visual style.
  • Create and refine image-to-video, video-to-video and other generative motion outputs, maintaining visual quality and consistency across sequences.
  • Adjust lighting, perspective, composition and other visual elements using multimodal editing tools and established creative techniques.
  • Identify and correct artifacts, inconsistencies and other visual issues in generated content.
  • Perform light compositing, paint and finishing work where needed to deliver polished, production-ready assets.
  • Collaborate with other artists, technical artists and production teams to maintain the creative vision and quality of the project.
  • Test emerging tools and techniques, providing feedback to help improve the workflows used by the wider team.
What will help you succeed in this role
  • A strong artistic foundation and excellent visual judgement, particularly when creating photorealistic imagery.
  • Strong professional experience creating high-quality visual content within film, VFX, animation, games or another relevant creative production environment.
  • Hands-on experience using generative AI tools to create and refine high-quality, photorealistic imagery.
  • Experience using node-based generative AI workflows such as ComfyUI or similar graph-based tools.
  • Experience using conditioning and control techniques within generative AI workflows to manage composition, pose, character and stylistic consistency.
  • Strong hands-on experience with generative video tools, including image-to-video and video-to-video workflows.
  • A strong understanding of composition, lighting, color, perspective, camera and lens characteristics, continuity and visual consistency.
  • The ability to critically evaluate generated output, identify visual issues and iterate efficiently towards a clear creative target.
  • Experience refining generated assets using multimodal editing tools, compositing, digital painting or similar techniques.
  • A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality visual work across generative imagery and motion content.
  • The ability to collaborate effectively with artists, technical artists and production teams in a fast-moving production environment.
 
Even better if you also have
  • A background in compositing, digital matte painting, LookDev, animation or another relevant production art discipline.
  • Experience delivering visual assets within feature film, VFX, AAA game, or another high-end production environment.
  • Experience working with rapidly evolving generative AI tools and adapting established creative workflows as new capabilities emerge.
Think you could be a great fit?
If you have strong artistic experience, hands-on expertise with generative AI image and video workflows, and believe you could make an immediate impact on the project, we'd love to hear from you.
$100,000 - $160,000 a year
Our posted salary ranges reflect the range of experience and skills we may consider for the role. Individual offers are determined based on relevant experience, skills, and internal pay equity. To support fair and equitable compensation practices, as well as ongoing growth within the role, most offers will not be made at the top of the advertised range.
About Magnopus

Magnopus is an experience-focused technology company founded by a team of Oscar-winning artists, designers and engineers from the worlds of film, games and immersive media.

We create experiences that bring together storytelling, creativity and technology in new ways - from immersive attractions and interactive installations to virtual production, spatial computing, AI-powered experiences and emerging technologies. Our work helps some of the world's most recognisable brands and organisations connect with audiences in ways that weren't previously possible.

We've built experiences for millions of people around the world and continue to explore what's possible at the intersection of creativity, technology and human connection.

Though we've delivered a lot of incredible work, here are just a few examples you can explore yourself:

 
Metallica: Music Experience in UEFN
Mission: ISS
Alo Moves XR
World of Fallout
Daft Punk Experience, Fortnite
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

We're proud of the work we create, but we're equally proud of how we create it. Magnopus is built around collaboration, curiosity and respect. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere, and we strive to create an environment where talented people can learn, grow and do some of the best work of their careers.

You'll join a multidisciplinary team of artists, designers, engineers, producers and technologists who specialise in bringing ambitious ideas to life. Studio work at Magnopus is varied, collaborative and often unlike anything you've worked on before, giving you the opportunity to contribute to projects that push creative and technical boundaries.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process - for example, to transcribe interviews and generate summaries. These tools are not used to review applications or analyse resumes, and they do not replace human judgement. All hiring decisions are made by people. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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